Green
by DaughteroftheOneTrueKing
Summary: Andromeda finds something out.


**Hello all! This if for IWSC, where I'm a Headmistress. Fellow Head, Claire, is running a summer camp for a few weeks, and this is the first! The theme is kayaking, and our main writing prompt is to write about someone who realizes they're in a hopeless situation. Enjoy!**

Andromeda Black stared blearily up at the top of her four-poster bed. It was the early hours of the morning; too early even for birds to be singing. The sun was nothing more than a whisper of a promise on the horizon outside her window.

She hadn't been sleeping well at all for several days now, and she had a stomach ache. She went to sleep as early as possible, which wasn't very early at all since she was studying for her NEWTs. She was aiming to become a Healer at St. Mungo's, and her grades were well on their way to getting her there.

Opening her eyes and attempting to sit up, Andromeda's stomach gave a painful lurch. Jumping up, she padded quickly through her dorm, doing her best not to wake the other girls. Finally, she reached her destination: the bathroom. She knelt over one of the toilets and emptied her stomach of last night's dinner.

For about a minute or so, she threw up into the toilet. Finally, with acid burning her throat, she managed to stand and walk over to one of the sinks. She turned it on and cupped some water in her hands to wash out her mouth. She was afraid that she'd start to puke again, which she did.

"Andie?" a voice asked from behind her. Andromeda turned to see her best friend, Helene Avery. She stared at her friend, concern knitting her eyebrows. "Are you okay?"

With a groan, Andromeda said, "I didn't mean to wake you, Helene. Go back to sleep. I'm okay."

Helene put her hands on her hips. "You don't look okay. You're sick; you need to go to Madam Pomfrey."

Andromeda started to refuse but realized that was probably the best thing for her to do. Madam Pomfrey would put her right in a trice.

"Fine, I'll go. Now go back to sleep."

Helene gave her friend a skeptical look but turned to go back to their dormitory. Andromeda stood up shakily and left the bathroom, headed for the Hospital Wing.

* * *

A few minutes later, Andromeda arrived outside the Hospital Wing. As she approached, she heard the Hogwarts bell chime six times. _Six in the morning, _she thought. Would Madam Pomfrey be there yet?

She entered and had her answer. Madam Pomfrey was indeed in her domain. She sat at her desk, writing something out. A few patients were in the beds, still asleep.

As she entered, Madam Pomfrey looked up and saw her. "Miss Black," she greeted. She took in the girl's appearance. "You don't look well at all. Sit!" The matron directed her to one of the unoccupied beds. Andromeda sat on the edge of the proffered bed as Madam Pomfrey approached. "What's the matter, dear?"

"I haven't been sleeping well for around a week now, and this morning, I was nauseous and puked twice," Andromeda answered.

Madam Pomfrey wrote this down and then looked at Andromeda directly. "I am going to ask you some questions that might feel intrusive. I want you to be honest. If you lie, I can't help you."

Andromeda wasn't sure how to take this but nodded. "All right."

"Have you had your menstrual cycle recently?" Madam Pomfrey asked. Immediately, Andromeda realized where this questioning was going to go.

"You think I'm pregnant?" Andromeda asked. It was barely audible, but Madam Pomfrey heard her.

"Those are some common early symptoms of pregnancy. They aren't the only ones, but usually the most prominent. Have you been intimate with someone?"

_Ted, _Andromeda thought. She'd managed to keep her relationship with the Muggle-born Hufflepuff secret up to this point. About a month before, they'd decided they would get married once they graduated, and had been together for the first time.

She nodded slowly. "Once." She laid her head in her hands. Her head was spinning with all the implications.

"Right," Madam Pomfrey said, efficiently scribbling the information on her papers. Staring at the girl before her, she laid a comforting hand on her knee. "It's going to be alright, dear. Don't you think I've had to deal with plenty of situations just like yours?"

Madam Pomfrey waved her wand in Andromeda's direction. It was a complex set of motions, and at their conclusion, Andromeda was surrounded in a pale green aura. "Green is positive. You're going to be a mother, dear."

Andromeda had held out hope until that moment, but that ended it. "What am I going to do?" Andromeda asked quietly.

Madam Pomfrey walked over to a cabinet and took out two potion bottles. "This will keep the baby healthy. You'll come here to take it every day. Any other decisions can wait until you can come to terms with this."

Despite Madam Pomfrey's assurances, Andromeda wasn't inclined to believe her as she took the potion. Soon her parents would have to be told, and they would demand she marry the father… until they found out it was Ted Tonks, a Muggle-born. She didn't know what she would do. She felt completely hopeless.

She would not get rid of her child. She knew the stories of desperate young women who did that, but she would not be one of them. Once her parents found out the father was Muggle-born, they might try to make her, but she would not.

It was a no way out situation, and her stomach certainly wasn't helping.


End file.
